SBY: No Need to Pressure Indonesia

Selasa, 2 November 2010 | 03:18 WIB

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Monday

there was “no immunity” for members of the country’s armed forces, after a video showed them
torturing unarmed civilians in Papua. He told a weekly cabinet meeting that the soldiers involved
would be punished and rejected international pressure over the issue ahead of talks in Jakarta
with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

“It became a news topic in various international media and we must take steps. Not because of
pressure from anyone,” he said.

“That (torture) is not this country’s policy. If there’s a violation, we will pass sanctions. There’s
no immunity.”

As Gillard arrived in Jakarta for Tuesday’s talks, military chief Agus Suhartono said five
suspects had been identified and their files had been passed to military prosecutors. He did not
name the suspects. The video, which appeared online, showed two Papuan men being kicked and
abused as soldiers interrogated them over the whereabouts of a weapons cache.

One screams in pain when a burning stick is applied to his genitals. The video, first reported in
The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, follows similar allegations against Australian-funded
Indonesian anti-terror police said to have abused peaceful political activists in the Maluku
islands.

Papua and the Malukus have underground separatist movements which Indonesia regards as
threats to its territorial unity. Activists are regularly given lengthy jail terms for crimes such as
possessing outlawed rebel flags. New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged
Gillard to press Indonesia for a full investigation into torture by its military during her talks with
Yudhoyono.

Yudhoyono said however that Indonesia needed no outside pressure to “do what needs to be
done”. “I read in the news... Australia has been asked to pressure Indonesia to carry out an
investigation. I say there’s no need to pressure Indonesia,” he said.

“There should be no pressure from any country or any non-government organisation.” Australia
has worked closely with the Indonesian security forces since 88 Australian tourists were killed in
the 2002 Bali bombings by Islamist extremists.

Few Indonesian military officers have ever faced justice for gross human rights abuses dating
back decades, including alleged crimes against humanity in East Timor.

Sumber : kompas
Indonesia Issues Flight Warning as Volcano Spews Ash
Selasa, 2 November 2010 | 17:42 WIB

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Indonesia on Tuesday warned airlines to avoid certain routes over
central Java as the Mount Merapi volcano belched more heat clouds of gas and ash, while six
international flights were canceled.

Transport ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan said an official warning was issued telling all
airlines to “use an alternative route for safety reasons due to the volcanic ash.“

Malaysia-based AirAsia Bhd. (5099.KU) said it had canceled four flights linking Kuala Lumpur
to Yogyakarta and nearby Solo on Tuesday, while Silk Air canceled two flights between
Singapore and Solo.

“The flights...to Yogya and Solo have been canceled only for Nov. 2. We will update if there are
any further developments,“ an AirAsia spokeswoman said, referring to four flights to and from
the cities.

A statement from SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines Ltd. (SINGY), said a flight
from Singapore to Solo and its return leg were canceled. “Our next scheduled Singapore-Solo
flight is on Thursday and we are closely monitoring the situation,“ the statement said.

Almost 40 people have been killed since the 2,914-meter Mount Merapi, the most active of the
many volcanoes in Indonesia, began erupting last week. It spewed heat clouds high into the air
six times after dawn on Tuesday, and volcanologists say such activity is likely to continue for the
foreseeable future.

“It could go on for weeks, even months,“ volcanologist Subandrio said. Indonesia straddles
major tectonic fault lines and is part of a region known as the “Ring of Fire“ that circles the
Pacific Ocean.

Sumber : kompas.

Sri Sultan Sees The Exaggeration in Helping The Victims of Merapi

Selasa, 2 November 2010 | 03:34 WIB

SLEMAN, KOMPAS.com - Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X deplored

the number of vehicles carrying relief packages and volunteers passing evacuees by sounding
sirens loudly.  

"At this moment, the problem is that the ambulance cars and other vehicles are flying the flags of
certain organizations and political parties, and sound their sirens too loudly," the Sultan said at
the main disaster mitigation post  in Sleman district, Yogyakarta Monday.
    
According to him, the ambulance cars and vehicles passing through the post disturb the
concentration of members of the Taskforce Unit of the Refugee and Disaster Mitigation Agency
and it may create trauma for the evacuees.
    
"Moreover, the ambulance cars  are not carrying patients who need emergency aid. So please,
don’t exaggerate in helping the victims, it may cause them panic," the Governor said.
    
The Sultan said the Yogyakarta provincial administration, as well as the Sleman district
administration, will not hinder the volunteers and donors to distribute their help for Merapi
victims.
    
"They are very welcome to help the victims. It’s up to them to deliver the aid to the Main Post,
directly to the shelters or to the evacuees themselves. We hope the bureaucracy will not pose an
obstacle to them. The most important thing  is that the help must be rendered whole-heartedly,"
he said.

Sumber : Kompas

JK Places Relocation in Mentawai as Second Priority

Senin, 1 November 2010 | 16:13 WIB

MUKOMUKO, KOMPAS.com - Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) chairman Jusuf Kalla has called
for the construction of modest houses in tsunami devastated Mentawai district, West Sumatra.

"The earthquake-triggered tsunami has claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed a big number of
houses in Mentawai. Therefor PMI encourages an  immediate construction of modest houses for
the tsunami victims who have nowhere to stay," said Jusuf Kalla, the former vice president.
     
Kalla made the remark at Mukomuko airport on Monday after returning from an inspection to
tsunami hit areas in Mentawai district. He said hundreds of modest house should be constructed
immediately  and completed in not more than one month.

"The Indonesian Red Cross has prepared 100,000 pieces of zinc roofs and other building
materials," Kalla said.
     
He added that there was no need to talk about relocation of the tsunami victims, because what
they urgently needed at present was the construction of modest houses for them.
     
"Relocation is second thing but the construction of modest houses for them should be on top of
priority," said the former vice president who is currently the chairman of Indonesian Red Cross.
     
Kalla said the shipment of logistics and medical assistance to the victims in Mentawai was
hampered by bad weather several days ago but no the weather has been clear therefore the
shipment could be sped up.
     
"Now that the weather has been clear, helicopters and small ships can help transport the
assistance to Menatawai," Kalla said.

Sumber : Kompas

After Meeting Australian PM, SBY to Visit Yogyakarta

Senin, 1 November 2010 | 15:43 WIB

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will leave for Yogyakarta
on Tuesday to obtain first hand information about the management of efforts to deal with the Mt
Merapi eruption. The president himself made the remark at a function to open a plenary cabinet 
meeting at his  office here on Monday.

"Although the management system is  running well and  Vice President Boediono has seen the
victims, I myself will leave for Yogyakarta tomorrow (Tuesday) at about 4 in the afternoon after
a series of meetings with visiting Australian Prime Minister  Julia Gillard," President Yudhoyono
said.
    
The head of state admitted that after being informed on Monday morning about a new eruption
of Mt Merapi, he immediately contacted Central Java and Yogyakarta governors.
    
"Soon after I heard the new eruption I communicated with the two governors by phone when
they were managing emergency response," the president said. He added that the emergency
response should be continued to prevent fatality in the new eruption.

"All efforts should be made to save the lives of our brothers and sisters in Central Java and
Yogyakarta from the volcanic eruption," the president said.
    
On the other hand, the head of state also asked the people there to abide by the instruction from
regional government and the officials in the field when they made evacuation. The cabinet
plenary meeting was attended by all cabinet ministers to discuss ways of disaster management at
home.

Sumber : Kompas

Visit to Indonesia is Part of Obama's Strategic Outreach to Asia

Senin, 1 November 2010 | 10:58 WIB

WASHINGTON, KOMPAS.com - U.S. President Barack Obama heads to Asia Friday,

diplomatic ambitions undimmed by domestic political woes as he seeks a permanent place for
the U.S. in a region fundamental to its future.  The president won't make a repeat visit to China
however, though ragged Sino-U.S. ties, over the yuan, climate change, security and territorial
issues, are sure to loom over his nine-day tour.

In India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan, Obama will cement his strategic outreach to Asia, a
year after dubbing himself America's “first Pacific President“ on his debut regional tour.

His visit will be a clear sign that he sees Asia, with its fast-emerging economies, dynamic
populations, vibrant markets and rising strategic clout, as perhaps the most vital global region for
U.S. prosperity and security.

From Saturday, the president will spend three days in Mumbai and New Delhi, promoting
business ties, remembering victims of terror, addressing India's parliament and attending a state
dinner.

Next up is Indonesia, Obama's home for four years as a boy, and a speech partly aimed at
Muslims, ahead of the Group of 20 largest developing and industrialized nations summit in Seoul
and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Yokohama, Japan.

Obama's tour is the latest in a flurry of diplomatic missions to Asia by administration heavy
hitters, reinvigorating a regional policy aides say was neglected by his predecessor George W.
Bush.

The president also led the second U.S.-Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in New
York in September, which indirectly thrust the U.S. into territorial disputes between China and
its neighbors. Obama made clear in a speech in Tokyo last year, that Asia was vital to the U.S.

“We seek this deeper and broader engagement because we know our collective future depends on
it,“ Obama said.

Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security advisor elaborated last week.  “If you look at trend lines
in the 21st Century, the rise of Asia...is one of the defining stories of our time,“ Rhodes said.

“It's fundamental to the economic prosperity of individual Americans,...it's fundamental to our

security.“  Though the Asia outreach has won bipartisan plaudits in Washington, it remains
unclear whether it will escape a trend that has seen the soaring aspirations of Obama's foreign
policy outweigh its achievements so far.

And the scale of U.S. ambition will be viewed warily in Beijing, where leaders hoped U.S.
power, diminished by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and its economic meltdown, meant its
influence would wane. In a veiled message to China, Obama aides have repeatedly stressed he
will touch down in November in the region's preeminent democracies, and the administration has
toughened its tone towards Beijing in recent months.

Still, Obama will meet Hu Jintao in Seoul, and the leaders will seek to ensure that flaring
tensions, over the yuan, trade and regional territorial spats, don't ruin the Chinese president's U.S.
visit in January. Many media commentators see the U.S. reengagement as a reaction to growing
uneasiness in East Asia about China's emergence, which has been fueled by territorial spats in
the East and South China Seas.

But officials and analysts say that narrative underplays the extent of Obama's ambitions for a
region which clearly inspires him.  “This has been a kind of strategic policy of ours,“ said
Obama's top Asia hand, Jeff Bader. “It's not been a reaction to events.“

Michael Green, a former top Bush administration Asia specialist, said China's recent behavior--
for instance its recent clash with Japan, had worried regional powers who had seen Beijing as a
benign superpower.

“The administration is going to take advantage of that, as it should,“ he said, adding however
that Washington wouldn't push Beijing too far.

“They are also pulling punches, and making sure that they do not create a dangerous spiral with
China.“

Obama will leave for Asia after an expected drubbing for his Democrats in congressional
elections seen as a referendum on his presidency. As always in U.S. election season, China was a
whipping boy.

Obama, along with many candidates, claimed Beijing's currency policy unfairly helps its
economy at the expense of U.S. jobs.  But the administration still seeks to preserve the
organizing principle of its China policy which holds that there are sure to be agreements and
disagreements, but that frequent dialogue is in the interests of both sides.

“I think that is the only approach that makes any sense,“ said Elizabeth Economy of the Council
on Foreign Relations. “We will see where we can make some progress, and see where we can't.“

Washington credits this policy with getting China's agreement on toughened sanctions against
Iran's nuclear program, though the policy hasn't yielded much progress on climate change or
yuan revaluation.

Sumber : AFP

Taufik Only Runner-up

Senin, 1 November 2010 | 08:36 WIB

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Indonesia’s badminton men’s singles ace Taufik Hidayat had to
be satisfied to emerge as a runner-up in the Danish Super Series Open Tournament after being
beaten in the finals by host player Jan Jorgensen.

Jorgensen who had been fourth seed, needed only 45 minutes to beat the 2004 Athens Olympic
champion in straight sets  21-19, 21-19 in the presence of his supporters in Odense, Denmark,
Sunday night. Taufik was leading in two games, but in the middle of the game was surpassed
with Jorgensen leading and eventually won.

Indonesia’s men’s doubles Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan  were also defeated in straight sets
13-21, 12-21 by their  Danish counterparts Mathias Bone and Carsten Mogensen. Chinese
women’s singles player Wang Yihan emerged champion scoring 21-14, 21-21 beating
compatriot Liu Xin in the finals offering a prize money of US$ 200.000.

Sumber : Kompas

Merapi's Volcanic Ash is Health Hazard

Minggu, 31 Oktober 2010 | 06:58 WIB

YOGYAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Volcanic ash from Mount Merapi, if inhaled in a large

quantity,  could stick to the inner walls of one’s lungs and lessen their elasticity, a local public
health official said,

"If the volcanic ash is inhaled in a large  quantity, it could stick to the inner linings of a person’s 
lungs and reduce their elasticity.  It is a real  health hazard because  it can  cause infection of the
respiratory system and the person could asphyxiate," Bondan Agus Suryanto, the head of
Yogyakarta’s Health Office, said here Saturday.
     
People with  a respiratory system allergic to foreign substances or suffering from asthma are
advised to avoid the volcanic ash as inhaling it could trigger an attack of the  ailments, he said.
The volcanic ash could stick to the respiratory tract and it could only be neutralized in the blood
stream if it was small in quantity, he said.

Volcanic ash was also  harmful to the eyes because it would obstruct the production of tears that
serve as a cleaning and lubricating agent for the eyeballs, and thus cause irritation and
inflammation of the optical tissues, he said. Bondan advised people living near  Mount Merapi
not to do unnecessary outdoor activities.  

But if they had to go outdoors, it was best for them to wear protective masks to avoid inhaling
sulfuric acid volcanic ash. His office would distribute more masks to the people, he said.

Sumber: Kompas

How Serious Mount Anak Krakatau's Activity Could Lead to Tsunami

Minggu, 31 Oktober 2010 | 04:41 WIB
BANDUNG, KOMPAS.com - A senior  geologist said here on Saturday  the current activity of
Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait would not lead to a tsunami.

"Mount Anak Krakatau is a young strombolian volcano which will keep erupting but will not
cause a tsunami," M Suchyar, head of the energy and mineral resoruces ministry’s geological
agency, said.
    
He said the danger status of the mountain had been raised to a level above normal and the
Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center had recommended a ban on visits to the
mountain. He stated the mountain which is located in the waters of the Sunda Strait  would
continue to be active as a young volcano.

"Anak Krakatau’s eruption activity is in the active crater up to around 300 meter above  sea
level. There will be no tsunami. People must not be provoked by rumors," he said.
    
He said the ash the mountain was emiting from time time was not  disturbing aircraft flights as it
never reaches a height of more than 1,500 meters while the altitude of  flights is usually above
20,000 feet. According to him, Mount Anak Krakatau activity was being monitored intensively.

"Its activity does not affect flights but people may not come to the mountain because of its
potential to emit volcanic materials," he said.   He added Anak Krakatau was a young volcano. It
had risen from the sea to a height of 400 meters over the past 73 years, he said.

Sumber : Kompas